Termomechanical

Termomechanical, often written as thermomechanical, refers to the study and engineering of systems in which thermal and mechanical fields interact. It encompasses phenomena where temperature variations influence mechanical behavior and where mechanical deformation or stress affects heat transfer and temperature distribution. The term is used across materials science, mechanical engineering, physics, and geophysics.

Core concepts include thermal expansion, thermal stresses, heat conduction, phase changes, and temperature-dependent material properties such as elastic moduli and yield strength. The field typically involves coupled equations: the heat equation governs temperature, while momentum and constitutive relations describe stress and strain, solved simultaneously in thermoelastic, thermoelastic-plastic, or viscoelastic models.

Analytical solutions exist for simple geometries; in practice, numerical methods such as finite element analysis are used to perform thermo-mechanical simulations. Models may include boundary conditions, radiation, convection, plasticity, creep, and nonlinear thermal properties. Experimental approaches combine thermomechanical testing, digital image correlation under thermal loading, and infrared thermography.

Applications span electronics cooling and packaging, turbine blades, metal forming and welding, additive manufacturing, geothermal reservoirs, and structural components subjected to high thermal gradients. The field supports design optimization, reliability assessment, and safety analysis for systems experiencing coupled thermal and mechanical loads.

Related topics include thermoelasticity and thermomechanical fatigue.